Box toe heating device



oct. 13, v1959 BOX TOE HEATING DEVICE L. V. VlLLANl Filed March 25, 1957 I WI:

INVENTOR LAZZAROV VILLANI ATTORNEY Unitdfaflffflf O Y BOX TOE HEATING DEVICE Lazzaro V. Villani, Milford, Mass. Application March 25, 1957, Serial No. 648,178

1 Claim. (Cl. 12-1) This invention relates to a protective device to prevent the scorching of insoles of lasted shoes while the edges of the box toes are being heated preparatory to the bed-lasting operation. Ordinarily, the lasted shoes are placed on a screen above a source of heat such as a steam pipe in order to heat the rough edges of the box toe so that the same is`softened and may be smoothed down during the bed-lasting operation, but this operation sometimes scorches the insole, especially the gem duck layer.

The principal object of the present invention resides in the provision of a protective guard or the like upon which the yshoes may rest while being vheated for the above described purposes without, however, vscorching the insole or the duck.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the device;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the device on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a partial view in elevation, taken on line 3-3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the operation of the device, looking down on the shoe;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic bottom plan view of the lasted shoe prior to bed-lasting;

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view from the front of the delvice illustrating its operation.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown a heatingv box or housing which is generally indicated at 10. This box is generally enclosed except at the front and is provided with steam pipes 12 or any other heating means such as an electric coil, etc. Ordinarily a screen or the like is positioned within the box and the lasted shoes are merely set on the screen for heating preparatory to the bed-last operation. However, this screen in the pior art is not shown here as it forms no part of the present invention.

The present invention provides a support for the shoes as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and this support includes a sheet of material or platform 14 which is positioned in the housing 10, while the front of the housing is provided at the level of the platform 14 with a forwardly projecting heel supporting flange 18. At intervals, the sheet 14 is provided with a row of lapertures or holes generally indicated at 20 and these apertures conform in general to the outline of the toe of the lasted shoe which has not yet been bed-lasted. The bed-lasting, however, is the next step in the manufacture of the shoe, and it is necessary to soften the edges of the box toe which appear under the edges of the upper at the toe portion as indicated at the position 2.2 in Fig. 5.

It will be seen that the heat will issue upwardly through holes 20 and will cause the required area of y 2,908,023 l Patented Oct. 13,1953

ice

the box toe edges to be .heated and thus.softened;but theremainder of the shoe will not be affected by the heat. Particularly the area of the insole at 24 yis not overheated and thus the insole cannot become scorched by the source of heat while the shoe is resting in position for heating preparatory to the next operation.

There may be also provided a second row of apertures or holes such as at 26 and these are provided generally outside the area of the insole so that the heat issuing therefrom cannot in any way impinge upon the insole but at the same time the holes 26 will cause heat to be directed to the flaring portions 22 of the box toe as shown in Fig. 5, so that the heating of the required portion is made more efficiently while the heat is maintained away from the insole portion not desired to be heated.

In addition, there may be provided on the platform 14 an upstandng flange and -a horizontal ledge constituting a step formation as indicated generally at 28 against which the toes of the shoes may be thrust in order to correctly position the toe of the shoe with relation to the apertures or holes 20 and 26. In this step, there may also be provided additional apertures 30 so that additional heat will be directed at the toe of the shoe but again not at the insole or anywhere near. the insole. 'Ilhe holes 30 will be seen to be located on the arc of a circle as clearly indicated by the wavy or undulated outline of the step 28 in Fig. 2.

It is pointed out that the number and size of the apertures 20, 26 and 30 are not by any means critical to the present invention but `any convenient or desired spacing or size of these apertures may be used. The apertures at 30 are not necessary yto the invention but may be used if desired in order to increase the heat at the toe portion of the shoe. Also, the number of shoe receiving bays or stations shown in the step 28 is four; that is four shoes may be heating while the operator is bed-lasting a previous shoe. Whatever shoe has been on the support longest is next removed by the bed-laster for `the next operation and he then positions another shoe in the space taken by that one. However, there may be three stations for shoes or there even may be as few as two and the exact number of stations or positions for the shoe is not important to the invention.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claim, but what I claim is:

A box toe heating device, comprising in combination a rectangular box-shaped housing including top and bottom walls, a pair of end Walls, a back wall and a lower front wall member extending upwardly from the bottom wall and having its upper edge spaced downwardly from the top wall whereby to provide an opening in the upper front portion of the housing, a horizontal shoe receiving platform provided in said housing at the level of the upper edge of said front wall member and separating the interior of the housing into an upper shoe receiving chamber accessible through said opening and a lower steam-heated chamber, a forwardly projecting horizontal ilange provided at the upper edge of said front wall member Iand constituting a heel support for shoes positioned on said platform, said platform having an inner edge spaced from said back wall, an upstandng ange provided at the inner edge of the platform, said upstanding flange being horizontally undulated whereby to provide` at the inner edge ,portion of the platform a plurality of spaced concave toe receiving bays in the upper chamber of said housing extending along said back wall and spaced forwardly therefrom, a horizontal ledge provided at the upper edge of said upstandng ilange and 2,908,023 .l 3 :I e f. 4 4 extending baek to saidA back wall, and means for passing References Cited in the le of this patent stai'th'rugh said steamJheated charnber, the concave.

bay forming portions of said upstanding ange and the UNITED STATES PATENTS adjacent inner edge portions of said platform adjacent 1,876,055 Jennings Sept. 6, 1932 the jnn'tin thereof being provided with apertes Where'- 2,075,434 Franklin Mar. 30, 1937 byA heat Vf'r'ofrn `said steamheated' chamber may pass t0 2,249,760 Harrison et al July 22, 19.41

toes of shoes positioned on said platform. 

